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Mohammad Asif has lodged an appeal against his spot-fixing conviction and sentence having engaged the services of a new defence team

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2011Mohammad Asif, the Pakistan bowler, has lodged an appeal against his spot-fixing conviction and sentence having engaged the services of a new defence team.Asif was handed a 12-month jail term for his part in bowling deliberate no-balls during the 2010 Lord’s Test against England. He is now using the services of Balham Chambers, a London law firm, and, unlike his team-mates Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir, is appealing the initial conviction rather than just the severity of his sentence.On Wednesday, Butt and Amir had appeals against their sentences turned down by the Lord Chief Justice and will continue to serve their 30-month and six-month sentences respectively. However, Amir could be released by February under terms of serving half the sentence if he behaves.All three players are also appealing against the ICC bans at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Alastair Cook, England’s ODI captain, has warned his team-mates that “no player is guaranteed a place in his side” as England prepare for the one-day series against India

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2011Alastair Cook, England’s ODI captain, has warned his team-mates that “no player is guaranteed a place in his side” as England prepare for the one-day series against India that starts on Saturday.Kevin Pietersen is being rested for this series and reports emerged on Friday that he will not play for England until January – which would rule him out of the tour to India in October. Pietersen made just two ODI half-centuries in the previous two years but the England management insisted he had been rested, and not dropped, from the current series.”Kevin’s omission is part of our policy of monitoring the workload of players.”‘ Cook told the Daily Mail. “He also has a wrist injury that has to be sorted out. It gives a fantastic opportunity for someone else at four, but Kevin is very much part of our one-day future.”Yet Cook told reporters, “There is no guarantee for anything, because we haven’t had that selection meeting for India,” and when asked if he would prefer someone like Pietersen in his side, Cook repeated “There’s no guarantee for anything.”Pietersen’s absence was an opportunity for Ben Stokes to come into the squad, though it is more likely that Ravi Bopara will feature down the order and Ian Bell be promoted. Unlike the Test arena, where Bell has made himself into one of the best in the world, he is yet to seal his spot in England’s one-day team.

Legspinner Rahul Sharma, who received his maiden call-up to the India squad on Thursday, has said he wants to perform on-field, rather than make big promises

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2011Legspinner Rahul Sharma, who received his maiden international call-up on Thursday, has said he wants to perform on the field, rather than make big promises. Sharma, along with uncapped Karnataka medium-pacer S Aravind, was named in the 15-man squad for the first two ODIs of the five-match series against England that begins on October 14.”My aim is to capitalise on the opportunity given to me. I don’t want to make big statements,” Sharma told . “I have fulfilled my first dream of getting the national call-up. Now, my next goal is to don the India cap and do well for the country. [Being a legspinner] I am not thinking about taking Anil Kumble’s place in the team.”His performance for Pune Warriors in IPL 2011 – he claimed 16 wickets and had a miserly economy rate of 5.46 – despite health issues [he has Bell’s Palsy, which effects his vision] put him in the national spotlight. However, he said, he did not expect to break into the national side so early. “I didn’t expect it [the call-up] to come. It was unbelievable when Parthiv Patel disclosed the news to me.”Sharma said he was disappointed to miss out on working with Harbhajan Singh, who has been India’s first choice spinner for a while but was left out from the squad following a run of poor form. “It is an irony that I walk into the team as Bhajji [Harbhajan] goes out,” he said. “I wanted to play with him and bowl in tandem with him.”Left-arm fast bowler Aravind, the other new face in the squad, said he had expected to make the national team only next season. “I wasn’t expecting the call this year, especially after I missed the Emerging Players Tournament [in Australia in August] due to injury,” Aravind said. “After I recovered, I was hoping to do well this [domestic] season and was looking forward to a call next year.”I am really looking forward to the challenge. I have been really working hard on my bowling ever since I recovered from the injury. I think I am a better bowler than what I was a couple of years back. I hope to get a match and give my best.”Aravind is currently playing in the Champions League T20 with Royal Challengers Bangalore. He had a strong 2010-11 domestic season, leading the attack for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy and South Zone in the Duleep Trophy. Aravind said he would look to state-mate Vinay Kumar, who is also in the ODI squad, to calm any nerves. “In the Karnataka Ranji side, Vinay plays the role of a mentor to me and [Abhimanyu] Mithun. I’ll be getting guidance from him even in the Indian team, and that will help ease the pressure.”

Despite the rain, spectators at the Rose Bowl were left with the consolation of having watched one of the game’s modern greats produce an innings that has been long overdue

Andrew Miller at the Rose Bowl20-Jun-2011A grand total of 369 overs were lost to the rain in the course of England’s three Tests against Sri Lanka – which is roughly 26 and a half hours’ worth of play, or nearly four full days out of a possible 15. It was only fitting, therefore, that on the stroke of tea on the final afternoon, yet another dirty great cloud rolled across the Rose Bowl to extinguish the final embers of a contest that, but for a crazy 24 overs in Cardiff last month, would never have come close to igniting.If the hardy citizens of Hampshire arrived at the ground today hoping for, and maybe expecting, a similar burst of finality from England’s bowlers, then at least they left with the consolation of having watched one of the game’s modern greats produce an innings that has been long overdue.Kumar Sangakkara’s six-and-a-half hour 119 was the 25th century of his 97-Test career, but his first in nine attempts in England. In partnership first with the nightwatchman Rangana Herath, and then with his fellow stalwart Thilan Samaraweera, he repelled England’s advances on a pitch that Andrew Strauss ruefully remarked was effectively a day three wicket.The sting of the first day had certainly disappeared, but the application that Sangakkara showed could not be under-estimated. Had he failed to build on his overnight 44, England would surely have fancied their chances of wrapping up a 2-0 win.”It’s very satisfying,” said Sangakkara at the close. “To score a hundred, especially in England, is quite an achievement coming from the subcontinent. It would have been nice to have done it at Lord’s, but that’s something you have to get over. It’s nice to finally get there.”In the final reckoning, the innings does little to redress the imbalance of Sangakkara’s Test average in England. His mark now stands at 30.58, which is barely half his overall figure of 56.18, and he admitted that it had taken him longer to adjust to the bounce and movement in this country – a process not helped by his belated arrival from the IPL in India.”I just kept getting out,” he said. “When I first came to England [in 2002] I was a bit at sea and tried to make some adjustments, but was not getting anywhere. Second time around I had two opportunities [66 and 65], one at Lord’s when I got out to Monty Panesar. So coming here from the IPL it was a case of adjusting again. Not just technically but also mentally. It took me a bit too long to do that.”Kumar Sangakkara finally reached 100 in a Test in England on the ninth attempt•AFPNevertheless, there was some satisfaction to be gleaned from Sri Lanka’s final-day performance. At times on this tour, with the bat in Cardiff and with the old ball in most of England’s innings, they have performed with the fragility of a side ranked far lower than their No. 4 billing. It was important, therefore, to make a statement of the class that still exists in their cricket since the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan.”Cricket is all about continuously improving what you can do and what you can do as a team,” he said. “And what you can achieve if you perform as a team collectively. Our ambition now has to be to consolidate with the players we have, the ability we have and find new ways of winning Test matches. We don’t have Muralitharan any more, we don’t have [Chaminda] Vaas. For us to win, we have to find different avenues. That’s the thing for us. Those are the questions we need to answer in the months ahead.”But for that crazy session in Cardiff, Sri Lanka would have escaped with a drawn series, and Sangakkara was well aware of that fact. “That was probably the biggest regret on this tour,” he said. “None of us were switched on to that situation really. We just needed to bat consistently for 25 or 30 overs – just one pair to put on a proper partnership on a wicket that was flatter than this one. It just goes to show that one mistake, two mistakes, can magnify a situation that we should have been capable of handling nine times out of ten.”With the debutant Lahiru Thiramanne demonstrating a technique and temperament that enabled him to survive on a tricky surface and, in all likelihood, to thrive on more benign ones, Sri Lanka’s batting still looks capable of sustaining their status in the world game. England’s more powerful bowlers made the difference in this rubber, as they continue to push towards the No. 1 spot, but Sangakkara refused to believe that his team’s days as a top-ranked side are numbered.”I think all the sides in the top six have their eye on that prize,” he said. “We do too. But for us to do that, we need to improve our record away from home. England has a great all-round side and I think they can realistically achieve that ambition. But there are sides to beat, milestones to achieve along the way. We just have to wait and see if the teams battling for that position can deliver.”

Pakistan left-arm seamer Junaid Khan has been signed by Lancashire

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jun-2011Lanchashire have signed Pakistan left-arm seamer Junaid Khan as an overseas player for the remainder of the Friends life t20 tournament, subject to his registration.”Junaid is a hot prospect who was recommended to us by Wasim Akram,” Lancashire Cricket director Mike Watkinson said. “He is initially with us for our Friends Life t20 campaign but there may be some scope for him to feature in our County Championship squad later in the summer.”The 21-year-old fast bowler has played seven ODIs and one Twenty20 game for Pakistan and was part of their Test squad on the recent tour of West Indies. He was Pakistan’s second-highest wicket-taker in the recent two-match ODI series against Ireland.”Junaid is an extremely talented cricketer,” head coach Peter Moores added, “who will supplement our seam attack. He bowls with good pace and variation and we look forward to working with him.”Lancashire had earlier signed Sri Lankan allrounder Farveez Maharoof for the season.

Liverpool have bought out their sell-on clause from Kaide Gordon’s transfer from Derby County, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Gordon impressing at Liverpool

The 17-year-old made the move from Pride Park to the Reds in February 2021, with the striker considered one of the most exciting prospects in the country.

Gordon’s first-team playing time at Liverpool has been understandably limited but he has still managed four appearances – including one in the Premier League –  scoring once in that time.

A fresh update has now emerged regarding the youngster’s move to Anfield.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-31/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: Liverpool buy out Gordon sell-on clause

Taking to Twitter on Monday, Romano confirmed that Liverpool have paid £500,000 to get rid of the 20% sell-on clause which originally existed in the deal. The journalist revealed:

“Excl. Liverpool have bought out the sell on clause from Kaide Gordon’s transfer from Derby County. #LFC Been told Liverpool & Derby County have agreed £500,000 for the removal of the 20% sell on clause which appeared in the original deal.”

The Verdict: Massive future ahead for Gordon

This is yet more shrewd work from Liverpool in the transfer market, ensuring that they don’t have to pay Derby a substantial amount should they eventually sell Gordon in the future.

However, the hope is that the teenager becomes a superstar at Anfield and that the Reds will never actively want to sell him, with Virgil van Dijk hailing him as a ‘great talent’.

The 17-year-old has looked the part whenever he has been given a chance, possessing a great left foot and an eye for goal, while a tally of seven goals and three assists in 10 appearances for Liverpool’s under-18s further outlines his potential.

In other news, one Liverpool player is likely to leave permanently this summer. Find out who it is here.

ESPNcricinfo previews the Group B match between Ireland and West Indies in Mohali

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya10-Mar-2011Match FactsMarch 11, Mohali
Start time 09.30 (0400 GMT)Ed Joyce is yet to make an impact•Associated PressThe Big PictureTheir ability to compete with and challenge top teams apart, Ireland will bank on another factor ahead of a crucial clash against West Indies in Mohali on Friday. One bound to bring back sweet memories for the Irish and bitter ones for their opponents – history. What was expected to be a routine hammering for the minnows in 1969 turned out to be a shocking win as Ireland shot out the travelling West Indians for 25. Thirty-five years later, in another tour game, one that featured five West Indies players and four Irishmen who are part of the current squads, Ireland pulled off an upset again, chasing down 293 against Brian Lara’s side.With 13 professionals in their 15-man squad and a stunning win over England, things have looked up for Ireland this World Cup; a side determined for an encore. West Indies’ demolition of a Bangladesh side that was expected to challenge them at home, preceded by a dominating performance against Netherlands, has helped them put behind a dispiriting loss to South Africa. Can their present do the same to some unsavoury recollections with the Irish?In a keenly-contested Group where the fight for a berth in the quarter-finals is of greater intensity than the other, Friday’s fixture will have a significant bearing on who goes through to the knockouts from this half. A win for West Indies will be a consolidation – a preparation for bigger tests that await them against India and England. A win for Ireland will put them in an excellent position to realise their pre-tournament objective of making it to the next stage, with a game against Netherlands, whom they’ll expect to beat, in hand.Form guide(completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies: WWLLL
Ireland: LWLWL
Watch out for…Ed Joyce: His return to Ireland ahead of the World Cup was a major boost, but the impact is yet to be felt. Forcing the pace has been a problem, two starts have been squandered and there’s been one out-and-out failure when batting first. A player reputed for his solidity in the top and middle orders, Joyce is relied on to drop anchor. For that, he needs to spend long enough at the crease.Kemar Roach: He’s been West Indies’ most promising pace prospect in years, and weaker teams that have come his way this tournament have been comfortably brushed aside. Ireland may be weaker on paper but their batting line-up is infused with plenty of grit and spunk, and is likely to offer more resistance against his fiery pace and accuracy. But on a track expected to favour seamers more than some others have this tournament, that ability to resist will be tested.Pitch and conditions”Being a non-India match, some grass has been left on the pitch, giving it a greenish tinge,” Daljit Singh, the curator at the PCA Stadium, has said. “The first hour will help fast bowlers, but the batsmen can prosper with time as South Africa showed (scoring 330 against Netherlands) in the previous match.” It was cloudy in Mohali even in the afternoon on Thursday, and if Friday’s no different, fast bowlers will be kept interested for much longer than the first hour.Team newsWest Indies went in with two spinners in their previous game against Bangladesh. The seemingly favourable conditions for seamers in Mohali may just tempt them to replace a spinner with a seamer. Ravi Rampaul may get a look-in.West Indies (possible): 1 Devon Smith, 2 Chris Gayle, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Devon Thomas (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Sulieman Benn, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Kemar Roach.Trent Johnston was the best of Ireland’s bowlers against India but picked up an injury after five overs and picking up two wickets. It will be a major blow for Ireland if he misses out on Friday, as it’ll deprive them an experienced player with all-round abilities. In the event of his absence, Nigel Jones, a medium-pacer and a lower-middle order batsman, could be picked.Ireland (possible): 1 William Porterfield, 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Ed Joyce, 4 Niall O’Brien (wk), 5 Andrew White, 6 Kevin O’Brien, 7 Alex Cusack, 8 John Mooney, 9 Nigel Jones/Trent Johnston, 10 George Dockrell, 11 Boyd Rankin.Stats and trivia Those two surprise wins in tour games aside, Ireland have faced West Indies thrice in ODIs and lost twice, their latest defeat as recent as April 2010. One game as washed out. Left-arm spinners Sulieman Benn and George Dockrell have both picked up 25 wickets in ODIs, though the Irishman has done it in fewer games – 19 compared to 22 – at a better average and economy rate. Their opponents for the most part, though, have differed considerably in strength.Quotes”We have a lot of respect for them. They are a team that is improving constantly which shows their cricket is moving forward. We are definitely not taking them lightly. We have seen what they are capable of doing.”

The exclusion of Rohit Sharma and Pragyan Ojha were the major talking points in India’s 15-man squad for the World Cup starting next month

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2011The exclusion of middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma was the surprise in India’s 15-man World Cup squad announced in Chennai. The other bone of contention had been the second specialist spinner’s slot, and the selectors have picked both offspinner R Ashwin and legspinner Piyush Chawla, ahead of left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha. Most of the other names in the squad were along expected lines.India’s major concern ahead of the team selection was the injuries to four first-choice players – Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and quick bowler Praveen Kumar – but the selectors picked all four, confident that they will be fit in time for the tournament which starts on February 19.India’s bowling attack for the World Cup will be significantly different from their standard Test attack, with only Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh being named. The fast bowling pair of Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma, and Ojha are all excluded while Munaf Patel, who helped India to a series-levelling victory over South Africa on Saturday, has found a place as the fourth seamer.The selectors have gone in for a well-stocked slow bowling department, expecting traditional subcontinent tracks for the World Cup. Besides Harbhajan, there are two specialists in Ashwin and Chawla, an allrounder in Yusuf Pathan besides the part-time offerings of Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina and Virender Sehwag.Chawla was also something of a surprise pick, though he is part of the one-day squad currently touring South Africa. He hasn’t played any one-dayers for India since the Asia Cup in July 2008, and none of his 21 ODIs have been at home.The squad also has only seven specialist batsmen, including MS Dhoni, which might be a worry in case of injuries. India haven’t played their full-strength one-day side since the New Zealand tour in early 2009. There is no reserve keeper in the squad either, but that shouldn’t be a concern as they can have one travel with them in case he is needed at short notice.Kris Srikkanth, chairman of the national selection committee, was confident India could end their 28-year wait for a one-day World Cup. “This particular Indian team is doing brilliantly for the past couple of years in both Test and ODI cricket. They are playing consistently not only in India but outside,” he told reporters after the team was announced. “We are confident this team will do well and win the World Cup for us in front of the home crowd.”He also defended the large spin contingent in the squad. “Don’t forget that you are playing in India. The spinners probably play a very major role on the turning wickets. I am confident that the kind of balance we have, the kind of batting line-up we have, this team led by Dhoni will do the job for us.”Squad: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, Piyush Chawla, R Ashwin

Mohammad Amir, the youngest, most potent symbol of the trio expressed cautious optimism about the outcome of a hearing that could effectively end his career

Osman Samiuddin in Doha06-Jan-2011As the Doha hearing into the spot-fixing case against three Pakistani players finally got underway on Thursday, Mohammad Amir, the youngest, most potent symbol of the trio expressed cautious optimism about the outcome of a hearing that could effectively end his career.Along with Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif, Amir was charged by the ICC for allegedly bowling pre-planned deliberate no-balls in the Lord’s Test against England in August last year. The charges were the result of a sting operation by the English tabloid and the ICC acted immediately, suspending the three from international cricket.As time has passed, much attention has fallen on Amir, who until then had swiftly taken his place among the brightest, most charismatic young talents in the game; until the scandal emerged, Amir was favourite to win the ICC’s emerging player of the year award having just become the youngest bowler to complete 50 Test wickets.The last few months, including a failed appeal to lift his provisional suspension, have been difficult, however. His future, as he admitted, is now on the line. “Those early days were good for me and these last few months have been tough,” Amir told ESPNcricinfo before leaving for the hearing.”This is a question of my career and I’ve been through some tough days. I’ve overcome them and I will hopefully overcome more in the future. We’ve prepared well for the case and put in our effort.”Both Amir and his lawyer Shahid Karim remain confident that their preparations are complete. Much has been made of Amir’s youth and the ensuing leeway in any sanctions he may receive if found guilty because of that. Indications suggest that the defence may play on his unblemished disciplinary track record and his 18 years.”If you look at the ICC code there could be some advantage with that,” Karim said. “He is very important to the future of Pakistan and the response we have gotten from people so far, I am very hopeful. You can call our case strong or whatever but I am hopeful.”The players are staying in separate hotels with their lawyers and speculation has grown in recent weeks over the potential interplay between the three as the hearings begin. A leaked report of the testimony of Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach, recently suggested that Amir’s no-ball was bowled at the behest of Butt, who was captain at the time. The suggestion that he acted under duress might gain importance in Amir’s defence, though it is understood that so far, the issue has not cropped up. Karim was understandably unwilling to expand.”I cannot say much about this right now but we will see in the case how we use that. There are many perspectives which we feel are our in our favour and we will use that to our advantage.”Amir was the first to arrive at the Qatar Financial Centre civil and commercial courts, well before the scheduled 9.30am start. He was followed by Asif and his lawyer Alex Cameron though in keeping with Asif’s approach throughout, they didn’t speak to the media.Apart from a couple of media appearances unrelated to the case, Asif has maintained a steady silence, possibly at the behest of advice from his British-based defence. He was the only one of the three who didn’t appeal against the provisional suspension. Butt was the last to arrive with his legal team and though he has been the most voluble in his defence over the last few months, he also refused to speak.The members of the independent tribunal, headed by Michael Beloff QC, were the first to arrive. “I cannot comment very much on it because we haven’t even started the hearings,” Sharad Rao, one of the members, said. Asked about the impact of the hearing on the future of the game, he said, “The future of cricket is good because that is what the whole exercise is about, so that it should be very clean game that we can rely on the results.”

Don Lockerbie has been relieved of his position as chief executive of the USA Cricket Association with immediate

Martin Williamson21-Nov-2010Don Lockerbie has been relieved of his position as chief executive of the USA Cricket Association with immediate effect hours before a board meeting in Florida, according to sources inside US cricket.The news comes a little over a week after the resignation of Nabeel Ahmed, the first vice-president of USACA.While nobody was prepared to confirm the report, it follows several months of increasing concern that Lockerbie’s bullish promises about changes he was going to make to the game in the USA had come to nothing.The board’s finances remain a concern, and despite official denials it is widely believed the ill-fated tournament in Florida in May featuring New Zealand and Sri Lanka landed USACA with considerable losses.Lockerbie had a reputation of being someone big on talk but far more reluctant to address media inquiries about the more questionable aspects of USACA’s operations.He took up his role in April 2009 and quickly unveiled ambitious plans to turn US cricket professional and stage an IPL-type tournament in the country. But despite strong support from the ICC his plans failed to materialise, and in recent months there has been growing discontent within the USA which appears to have cost Lockerbie his position.While few will lament his departure, it does raise the grim spectre of the USA sliding back into the murky shambles that led to its suspension from the ICC in 2005.